UOC-KP Synod: Archbishop Oleksandr (Bykovets) is not Part of UOC-KP

KYIV — The Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate (UOC-KP) instructed Protopriest Viktor Poliarnyj, the Secretary of the Vicarage of the UOC-KP in the USA and Canada, to inform the parishes of the vicarage in the USA and appropriate US state authorities that Archbishop Oleksandr (Bykovets) does not belong to the UOC-KP. “The parishes and clergy, which formerly belonged to the UAOC [Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church] Sobornopravna (council-governed) and which according to the decision of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate (Journal 17 of November 30, 1994) were admitted into the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate, remain part of the Kyivan Patriarchate,” says the resolution of the Synod of UOC-KP of January 23, 2010.

The hierarchs of the UOC-KP stated that Archbishop Oleksandr (Bykovets) of Uman (Detroit, USA) failed to fulfill the synod’s decisions concerning his activity (Journal 27 of December 13, 2009), in particular he “failed to renounce his claims for heading a separate non-existent jurisdiction called the ‘UAOC (Sobornopravna)’ clearly and unambiguously in a letter to the primate.”

“On the contrary, in a letter to the Holy Synod, Archbishop Oleksandr actually repeated his claims to the headship over a separate jurisdiction within the Kyivan Patriarchate. These actions of Archbishop Oleksandr (Bykovets) are another confirmation that he does not fulfill the canonical requirements  (especially, Apostolic Rule 34), the Statutes of the Church, decisions of the Holy Synod, and instructions of the head, who is also his ruling bishop, and therefore he will not receive recognition that he is under the jurisdiction of Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus’-Ukraine and the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate,” stresses the decision of the UOC-KP.  

The resolution of the synod also says that the existence of the “UAOC (Sobornopravna)” is not envisaged neither by the Statutes of the Kyivan Patriarchate nor the resolution of the Synod of UOC-KP of November 30, 1994 (Journal 17), on the basis of which the bishops, clergy, and parishes of the former UAOC (Sobornopravna) were admitted to the Kyivan Patriarchate.

In view of the above, as infroms the press service of the UOC-KP, Archbishop Oleksandr (Bykovets) is excluded from the UOC-KP.